Under the Protection of Ka'Bah
Encyclopedia
Under the Protection of Ka'Bah is a 2011 Indonesian drama film
directed by Hanny Saputra
. The film has been selected as the Indonesian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 84th Academy Awards
.
After Hamid is accused of touching Zainab inappropriately, Hamid is run out of Padang
, eventually reaching Mecca
and praying at the Kaaba
. Zainab is betrothed to the son of another nobleman. However, they continue to love each other. After their deaths, they are reunited in heaven.
's novel Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah, following an adaptation in 1977 by Asrul Sani
. Unlike the original novel, which included numerous flashbacks, the plot is chronological.
The film cost Rp
25 billion (approximately US$ 2.9 million) to make. According to producer Manoj Punjabi, the company spent enough on costumes alone to entirely finance a horror movie. Another cost was the construction of a small mosque
, which was made in the style of the 1920s and eventually donated to the locals after filming.
Production took place over a period of three years, beginning in April 2008. After the previous director departed two years into production, Hanny Saputra
was approached to finish the film. At the time, approximately 20% had been finished.
, noted that the film abandoned some of the novel's themes, including feminism.
Mubarak criticized Saputra's lack of historical accuracy, blatant product placements, and straying from the source material, surmising that Saputra had "use[d] only the novel's opening and closing". Some characters, introduced via adaptation, were criticized as being "bland". In summary, he wrote that although the film was not necessarily bad, the city of Padang was "the only solid character". Ekky Imanjaya, writing for Detik.com, wrote that the product placement was overdone and that the lead Hamid seemed weak, instead of the intended patient; he summarized by saying that Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, like Punjabi's earlier production Ayat-Ayat Cinta, was overly commercialized.
Puput Puji Lestari, writing for KapanLagi.com, also noted the lack of attention to historical detail and use of product placement and considered it distracting. However, she summarized that it did not detract from the mood of the film or the quality of the acting by Pepet and Rachman.
The film is Indonesia's submission to the 84th Academy Awards
for Best Foreign Language Film
.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Hanny Saputra
Hanny Saputra
Hanny R. Saputra is an Indonesian director. One of his films, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, is Indonesia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the 84th Academy Awards.-Biography:...
. The film has been selected as the Indonesian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
.
Plot
Hamid (Herjunot Ali) and Zainab (Laudya Cynthia Bella) are teenagers from different social classes; Hamid comes from the lower classes, while Zainab is the daughter of local nobility. Hamid's mother works for Zainab's family, and Hamid has his schooling paid for by Zainab's family. Eventually they fall in love; however, Hamid's mother warns him that they will never be successful.After Hamid is accused of touching Zainab inappropriately, Hamid is run out of Padang
Padang, Indonesia
Padang is the capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located on the western coast of Sumatra at . It has an area of and a population of over 833,000 people at the 2010 Census.-History:...
, eventually reaching Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and praying at the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
. Zainab is betrothed to the son of another nobleman. However, they continue to love each other. After their deaths, they are reunited in heaven.
Production
Under the Protection of Ka'Bah is the second film adaptation of HamkaHamka
Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, known as Hamka was a prominent Indonesian author, ulema and politician. His father, syekh Abdul Karim Amrullah, known as Haji Rasul, led and inspired the reform movement in Sumatra upon his arrival from the holy land Mecca in 1906...
's novel Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah, following an adaptation in 1977 by Asrul Sani
Asrul Sani
Asrul Sani was born in Rao, Pasaman, West Sumatra on June 10th, 1926 and died on January 11 2004. He was a prominent Indonesian film producer and reporter. In 1946, along with Chairil Anwar and Rivai Apin, he founded "gelanggang seniman". He was editor of magazines such as Pujangga Baru, Gema,...
. Unlike the original novel, which included numerous flashbacks, the plot is chronological.
The film cost Rp
Indonesian rupiah
The rupiah is the official currency of Indonesia. Issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Indonesian rupiah is IDR. Informally, Indonesians also use the word "perak" in referring to rupiah...
25 billion (approximately US$ 2.9 million) to make. According to producer Manoj Punjabi, the company spent enough on costumes alone to entirely finance a horror movie. Another cost was the construction of a small mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, which was made in the style of the 1920s and eventually donated to the locals after filming.
Production took place over a period of three years, beginning in April 2008. After the previous director departed two years into production, Hanny Saputra
Hanny Saputra
Hanny R. Saputra is an Indonesian director. One of his films, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, is Indonesia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the 84th Academy Awards.-Biography:...
was approached to finish the film. At the time, approximately 20% had been finished.
Themes
According to Saputra, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah is a romance with bits touching on the themes of culture and religion. Makbul Mubarak, in a review for The Jakarta PostThe Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta....
, noted that the film abandoned some of the novel's themes, including feminism.
Release and reception
Under the Protection of Ka'Bah received a wide release on 18 August 2011. Critical reception was negative to mixed.Mubarak criticized Saputra's lack of historical accuracy, blatant product placements, and straying from the source material, surmising that Saputra had "use[d] only the novel's opening and closing". Some characters, introduced via adaptation, were criticized as being "bland". In summary, he wrote that although the film was not necessarily bad, the city of Padang was "the only solid character". Ekky Imanjaya, writing for Detik.com, wrote that the product placement was overdone and that the lead Hamid seemed weak, instead of the intended patient; he summarized by saying that Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, like Punjabi's earlier production Ayat-Ayat Cinta, was overly commercialized.
Puput Puji Lestari, writing for KapanLagi.com, also noted the lack of attention to historical detail and use of product placement and considered it distracting. However, she summarized that it did not detract from the mood of the film or the quality of the acting by Pepet and Rachman.
The film is Indonesia's submission to the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
See also
- List of submissions to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Indonesian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film